Salote
Torn between Salote and another name? Compare them side by side →
Meaning
“Tongan form of Charlotte, from Charles (Germanic karl, 'man'); Queen Sālote Tupou III of Tonga, who famously rode uncovered through pouring rain in her open carriage at Elizabeth II's coronation to show respect”
The story
When Charlotte reached Tonga it became Salote, keeping its long line back to Charles and the Germanic karl, a word for man, and one queen made the name unforgettable. Salote Tupou III ruled Tonga for nearly half a century, wrote poetry and songs her people still sing, and stole the show at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953: as rain drenched the London procession, she refused to raise the hood of her open carriage, riding soaked and beaming, since by Tongan custom, it is said, one does not shelter oneself before a person one honors. Britain adored her for it, and the image endures. In American records Salote is a true rarity, essentially invisible until a first trace appears in the 2020s. That leaves it in an unusual position: a royal name with a beloved story, a gentle sound, and virtually no footprint at all in the United States.
How popular is Salote around the world?
In the United States, Salote is not on the Social Security record for 2020 to 2025: names under 5 in a year are withheld at source. Salote is not on the 2025 record for England and Wales, where spellings under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
United States
under 5 a year
In the United States, Salote is not on the Social Security record for 2020 to 2025: names under 5 in a year are withheld at source.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Salote has stayed rare in US records the whole time: no peak decade to name.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
England and Wales
last on record 2024
Salote is not on the 2025 record for England and Wales, where spellings under 3 in a year are withheld at source.
The count never rose above 3 in a year, too few to chart.
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
South Australia
last on record 1993
Salote is not on the 2017 record for South Australia, whose registry publishes every name given that year.
The count never rose above 1 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
Keep exploring
The Salote deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Salote truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Salote fits with your family’s names and surname.
Does Salote fit YOUR family?
nametree reads your family’s names and finds the ones that belong. Free, private, no ads.
Add Salote to your family’s tree →